A question about astrology and astronomy
Upvote:0
In DN 2 quoted below, the Buddha denounced practices like astrology, palmistry, divination, face reading, omen reading, magic, dream interpretation, predicting the future and so on as wrong livelihood and "animal arts" for monks. I highlighted the relevant parts.
"Whereas some contemplatives & brahmans, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such "animal" arts as: reading marks on the limbs [e.g., palmistry]; reading omens and signs; interpreting celestial events [falling stars, comets]; interpreting dreams; reading features of the body [e.g., phrenology]; reading marks on cloth gnawed by mice; offering fire oblations, oblations from a ladle, oblations of husks, rice powder, rice grains, ghee, and oil; offering oblations from the mouth; offering blood-sacrifices; making predictions based on the fingertips; geomancy; making predictions for state officials; laying demons in a cemetery; placing spells on spirits; earth-skills [divining water and gems?]; snake-skills, poison-skills, scorpion-skills, rat-skills, bird-skills, crow-skills; predicting life spans; giving protective charms; casting horoscopes β he abstains from wrong livelihood, from "animal" arts such as these. .....
"Whereas some contemplatives & brahmans, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such "animal" arts as [forecasting]: there will be a lunar eclipse; there will be a solar eclipse; there will be an occultation of [a conjunction of the moon or a planet with] an asterism; the sun and moon will be favorable; the sun and moon will be unfavorable; the asterisms will be favorable; the asterisms will be unfavorable; there will be a meteor shower; there will be a flickering light on the horizon [an aurora?]; there will be an earthquake; there will be thunder coming from dry clouds; there will be a rising, a setting, a darkening, a brightening of the sun, moon, and asterisms; such will be the result of the lunar eclipse ... the rising, setting, darkening, brightening of the sun, moon, and asterisms β he abstains from wrong livelihood, from "animal" arts such as these.
DN 2
Upvote:2
Buddhism is not really trying to solve problems in the world. Buddhism is more about internal work and purification of mind through meditation and ethics.
Buddhism is not interested in how astrology or astronomy works since it doesn't lead to freedom from suffering.
Better to just be mindful of the thinking process or the doubt when reflecting on these topics or to be mindful of the process of seeing if one is looking up in the sky.
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